For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
    So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal.
    ~2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Friday, December 4, 2015

Best in Christian Fiction

Claire’s 19 year-old son gets himself a Brazilian mail-order bride When Claire tries to welcome her, she's ridiculed, rebuffed, and rejected. Loving this girl is like hugging a prickly cactus. Chapel Springs Survival received 4 stars from RT BookReviewshttp://amzn.to/1RtViDq    

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Christmas Traditions Series

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
Featuring HOLLY DAZE by Gina Welborn…


Lena rested her forehead against the knotty pine beam. She could leave town and no one would notice. Until they needed another cherry twig placed in holy water.

“Luck isn’t real.”

“In that, Miss Reinhardt, you are correct,” came the cynically British (Britishly cynical?) voice from somewhere behind her. “All things occur because God wills them. Rain, good and bad, et cetera et cetera.”

With an inner groan, Lena turned to face the barn wall where James Holly stood, coffee mug in right hand, flask in left, crooked grin on his handsome face. Strands of ash brown hair had loosened from his aristocratic queue. Fourth-in-line to a marquessate and a PhD in geology, not to mention a decade older than her, the fossil hunter oozed superiority and smugness—two character traits that no one else in the town seemed to mind but her.

The town’s beloved Englishman. She’d yet to hear a critical word about him. Well, save for those she uttered in her own mind.

FREE READ ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

“This collection of Christmas novellas offered eight delightful stories of romance, restoration, and renewal. This faith-based series was also laced with humor and a bit of suspense.” ~Amazon reviewer, 5*


#kindleromance #ebooks #indieauthors #christfic #christmasnovella
#boxedset #inspyfiction #christmas #christmasromance #99cents


Monday, October 12, 2015

Monday, October 5, 2015

Inkwell Inspirations: Floral Depravity Pre-launch Party

Giveaway!



Inkwell Inspirations: Floral Depravity Pre-launch Party: Tomorrow is the launch day for FLORAL DEPRAVITY, the third of Beverly Allen's Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries, and we're celebrating....




Monday, August 31, 2015

Inkwell Inspirations: Happy 6th Blog-o-versary To Us!

Inkwell Inspirations: Happy 6th Blog-o-versary To Us!: It's been 6 years since Gina Welborn realized a dream of bringing a group of female inspirational writers together for the purpose o...



We're giving away two Amazon giftcards!

Friday, June 19, 2015

The Most Eligible Bachelor Romance Collection

Here’s a romance collection that takes readers back to the gentler time of courtship and chivalry. Each of the nine story’s heroes has something special about him besides a handsome face—success, wealth, a beautiful home, a courageous heart, generosity, and more—but he doesn’t have the woman of his dreams. Still finding her is a challenge when all the local single ladies want to be with the most eligible bachelor in town, including gold diggers and charlatans. Readers will delight in following the journeys as each bachelor finds his bride through patience, prayer, and perfect timing.
Buy Today

WELCOME GUEST BLOGGER ERICA VETSCH


The Archaeologist’s Find 
by Erica Vetsch

New York 1898 – 

Archaeologist James Kirkland’s finds in Egypt have made him a wealthy man—and a very eligible bachelor. Alicia Davidson would like nothing better than to spend every day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art sketching artifacts. Drawn to each other within the halls of the museum, will their friendship survive when society reveals their true identities?
The Archaeologist’s Find is set in Gilded Age New York City, primarily in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I have always been fascinated with the opulent homes, the society rules, and the lifestyles of the Astors and Vanderbilts and Goulds during the Gilded Age. I’ve also long been intrigued by the history of America’s “Dollar Princesses,” the daughters of New York Society who were married off for political, material, and societal means with little say in the matter for themselves. Whether their fathers were trying to solidify a business deal, or their mothers were after a European title, the daughters were treated like bargaining chips. I love the idea of a socialite throwing over the traces for love.

My hero, James Maxwell Kirkland, is an Egyptologist who loves the life of an excavator and conservator, spending half his year in Egypt, the other half in scholarly pursuits. He’s made the discovery of a lifetime, but it comes with strings attached. He must curate an exhibit of his find at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.


My heroine, Alicia Davidson, is the only child and heir of the Davidson Department Store fortune and is expected to marry well. But in her heart, all she longs for is to become an artist…and to find real love. She escapes her mother’s machinations by going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art each day to draw and paint.

When Max and Ally meet, it’s as museum aficionados, not as two of New York’s most eligible catches, and while the pressure is on for them to find their perfect matches among New York’s elite, they think their paths might lie along similar lines. When the truth about who they are is revealed, one is elated and the other alarmed.

~*~*~*~*~

Erica Vetsch is a transplanted Kansan now residing in Minnesota. She loves history and romance, and is blessed to be able to combine the two by writing historical romances. Whenever she’s not immersed in fictional worlds, she’s the company bookkeeper for the family lumber business, mother of two, wife to a man who is her total opposite and soul-mate, and avid museum patron.




Wednesday, June 17, 2015

How to Name a Fictional Character -- Part 2

On Monday we discussed What Not To Do when naming fictional characters. Today, let's talk What To Do.

1) Culturally Appropriate Names

Look for a culturally appropriate name that has significance for your character and the story. For example, Chinese females are given eloquent names that signify grace and beauty, where as boys are given plain names. Why? A plain name, according to the culture, will confuse evil spirits. In Greece, first-born sons are named after their paternal grandfather, first-born daughters after paternal grandmothers.

2) Put a Twist on a Common/Popular Name

Today we are constantly hearing about a couples "shipped" name. Bennifer. Brangelina. Captain Swan. What about doing that with popular names Jeffanie. Timberly. Kaylor. Maybe not for a historical, but that could easily work in a contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, or sci-fi. Or take a common name and remove a letter or two. Matthew becomes Athew. Melody becomes Elody or Melo.

3) The Meaning Behind the Name

Once you've figured out the cultural ancestry of your lead, look for names that fit that culture yet have a meaning that summarizes your lead's super-power, or maybe weakness.

4) Shorten for Familiarity

You can show familiarity or even tension by having one character use a shortened version of the lead's name.

5) Be Aware of Gender Norms

Most Americans consider Whitney a female name. So if your hero is named Whitney, quite fitting in a historical, your readers may be put off. That's not to say you can't have a female use a male name or vice versa. If it is a plot element, then go for it.

6) Search the Past for Real People

Census taken around the time of my story and in the locale (or close to it) are my favorite places to find names. You can also find cemetery records, birth or marriage certificates, or other historical documents. In my book MASTERPIECE MARRIAGE, my hero is named Zenus (rhymes with Venus) Dane. Usually I will mix up first and last names. With Zenus, I used the name of a man who wrote an article for Good Housekeeping magazine back in the 1880s.

Get creative with naming your leads!

Monday, June 15, 2015

How to Name a Fictional Character - Part 1

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN NAMING CHARACTERS

"Why do YA heroines always have strange names, while everyone else has normal names?"  My 17-yr-old daughter  had a great point.

I recently had been judging a contest. One of my entries was a YA. Sure enough the heroine had a crazy name. Everyone else -- Bob, Sue, Tom. What made it worse was the heroine and her BFF had names so similar . . . I had to stop reading during their scenes together. Milly said this. Lilly said that. Ugh.

Character Naming Think-Twice-About-Doing

1) Unpronounceable Names

In this day and age, we can get away with odd names as long as the reader can figure out how to pronouce. Katniss, anyone? If one of your beta readers or critique partners questions a name choice, then you may want to change that name.

2) Similar Names

Ever seen that word test on Facebook where certain letters are removed yet you can still read the sentence? I have. The human brain is fascinating in how it can do this. Yet that ability causes may reader a problem when the brain sees J and immeditately thinks Jenny, your heroine's name. But name is Jenks, you villain.

That's not to say you can't have more than one character with a J-name. Be cautious about using one letter to carry too many names. Same goes with sound. Jenny, Bennie, Denney, or any variation of the "ee" sound at the end of the name can be confusing to the reader.

3) Time-Period Appropriate

I was re-reading a novel by one of my favorite historical authors. The name she'd chosen for the heroine didn't "sound" right for an English female in mid-1800s. I searched the book for an explanation of how she came about the name, but there wasn't one.

4) Popular Names

One year I judged a contest where three of my four entries had heroines named Cat/Kat. Obviously her name was shortened for Catherine or some derivative. Go to http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames. It will list the most popular names dating all the way back to 1880.

5) Nicknames

I swear if I pick up a book and the heroine is named Cat or Sam, I put the book back. The book could be amazing, but I refuse to read it. But if you do chose to call your lead(s) by a nickname, please be consistent and don't use more than one. All goes back to don't confuse your reader. If you're going to use a nickname predominantly for a character, then introduce the character by that name.

We first know him as Strider. Then we learn he is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. By the end of the third boook, he is King Elessar.


Monday, May 11, 2015

Broken Umbrellas by Wendy Chorot

BROKEN UMBRELLAS

It snowed the day of my grandson’s funeral. Pure grace blanketing dirty mounds of earth. Through my tears, my gaze fell on a sagging blue umbrella suspended over the head of a woman grieving our tiny loss with us. New tears sprang from within me, from depths I didn’t know existed. Not from the loss of my precious one, but from this old umbrella, broken and twisted, yet hovering and flapping above this woman. It offered no protection at all from the wetness dropping from the sky, yet she clung to it. Broken and unsheltered. Could anything symbolize my heart and all humanity better than this crippled umbrella? And then she did something that tore me apart. 

She moved her brokenness in an attempt to protect the man beside her. 

~*~ 

We are all surrounded by brokenness, around us and inside us—from divorce, from abuse, from loss. We try to relate and serve, to love and protect...but how can we, when we ourselves are broken? We still end up exposed to life’s storms. We still end up covered in snow. And we wonder why. 

In this transparent and honest look into humanity’s deepest hurts, hope for our relationships comes through the ultimate Relationship with the Lord. Join author Emma Broch Stuart as she travels that snowy road of pain toward the ultimate healing only God can offer.

~*~

Broken Umbrellas shows how God takes one wounded woman and transforms her life into wholeness and healing. Her name was once Ashamed, but now it’s Unashamed. Her name was once Broken, but now it’s Healed. Her name was once Bitter, but now it’s Beloved.  Every woman will find her name in Broken Umbrellas.

Walk with Emma Broch Stuart as she takes you by the hand and guides you through her pain, then on into her healing. There are nuggets of wisdom for every woman within these pages, and Ms. Stuart will show you what it means to step beneath the Father’s magnificent umbrella. ~~Sandi Rog, award-winning and international author of The Master’s Wall, Yahshua’s Bridge, and Walks Alone


Broken Umbrellas reveals the author’s heart as a devoted Christ-follower. It is a witness that where sin abounds, God’s grace abounds more. Broken Umbrellas speaks healing. ~~ Pamela Hoover Heim, founder of WomenSchool of Ministry Leadership


Broken Umbrellas shows a Christian woman’s journey through many heartbreaking earthly relationships.  Emma Broch Stuart has used this heartbreak to strengthen her greatest relationship—the one between her and God.  Her honesty will bring you to tears, make you laugh, and feel as though you have gained a true friend by reading her words. ~~Kristy Hutson, mother of three


The audience for Emma Broch Stuart’s Broken Umbrellas is wide—anyone who has suffered a wound inflicted by another person will benefit from this book. Our faith suffers at such times, especially when the source of the hurt is another believer. However, if we allow the healing process to work its way through us, this type of anguish can also produce powerful change in our lives. Emma has “been there, done that,” and her recovery testifies to the eternal truth of Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” ~~Gail Kittleson, author of Catching up with Daylight 


Broken Umbrellas is a refreshingly transparent and heart touching re-telling of one woman’s facing divorce—in marriage, in spirituality, in friendships, and family. Emma Broch Stuart walks us through her steps of healing and points the reader to the path of The Healer for the ultimate restoration. Highly recommended. Five Stars. ~~April McGowan, Healing Fiction author of Jasmine and Macy.

BROKEN UMBRELLAS can be purchased at Amazon!


EMMA BROCH STUART loves people and listening to their stories. Her heart aches for the broken and she longs to walk hand-in-hand with them through their storm. Although life's challenges and hardships have matured her in ways she never imagined, she's decided there are some things she will never grow out of: decorating Valentine boxes, being addicted to cherry limeades, and loving her grandchildren. She recently returned to the Midwest after living in Europe for fourteen years.



Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

The Most Eligible Bachelor Romance Collection

The Most Eligible Bachelor Romance Collection: Nine Historical Novellas Celebrate Marrying for All the Right Reasons


~*~

Meet nine men from bygone days who have all the qualities of a true hero and who all the single ladies wish to court—though some are unassuming and overlooked until their worth is revealed. The socialite, the architect, the doctor, the masked vigilante, the missionary, the postmaster, archaeologist, the wealthy widower, and the heir can have their pick of brides, but which one will they choose?

Learn more about the authors and their other books!


In celebration of our new release, we're hosting a giveaway!



Don't forget to enter our giveaway!

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Monday, April 6, 2015

ACFW Foundation Online Silent Auction

Have you been trying to get your manuscript in front of an agent or editor? Wonder why the story isn't working? Then check out these silent auction items (and remember all proceeds go to the foundation for scholarships to next year's conference).



Chip Macgregor: proposal & 3 chapter review plus skype: http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/9165/auctions/21779/auction_items/506236



PUBLISHED AUTHORS


And don't forget that if you're planning to come to conference, you can bid on a conference registration. Then your registration fee goes entirely to the Foundation:

Thursday, April 2, 2015

ACFW Foundation Online Silent Auction


The ACFW Foundation Silent Auction starts on TODAY. There are some great books baskets for readers and awesome helps for writers. You can view the selection here: http://www.32auctions.com/acfw2015

Need an ebook cover? We have several that have been donated to the ACFW Foundation by talented designers like Ken Raney, Roseanna White, and Suzanne Wesley.

Want to know what an editor or agent might think about your proposal? Several have graciously donated their time for a review of your first chapters and synopsis!

How about like some advice from a published author? Would you like their input on your proposal? Multi-published, award-winning authors like Lauraine Snelling, DiAnn Mills, Susan Meissner, Colleen Coble, Stacy Adams Hawkins and many more have donated critiques and mentoring sessions.

How about a Kindle? At least 3 baskets have a Kindle of some sort included.

Need a manuscript edit? There are several of those as well.

How about headshots at conference or early entry to the conference? We’ve got that as well as one conference registration.



All proceeds go to the ACFW Foundation Scholarship Fund.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Hercules Superman Mr. Romance


“Where have all good men gone, and where are all the gods?

Where’s the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?”

Nothing like a good man to make a woman go wild.

A good man?!? Who spiked my chocolate milk? No woman goes wild for a “good” man. Nope. Only bad boys make us pant, roar, and rip our bodices.

One minor problem: The quintessential Bad Boy smokes, dips, and chews and sleeps with any gal or two. Yuck. Call me a prude, but smoking, dipping, and chewing makes a man’s mouth and lungs look like meatloaf. Blech.

“It’s gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet.”

At one time or another we wanted to be Lois on the balcony or Mary Jane braless in a skimpy shirt in the rain. Okay, maybe not the braless part because we're good Christian girls. But, ahhh, the thrill of the rescue and the magic carpet ride.

Only one minor problem: You can’t count on Superhero--any more than Bad Boy--to be home with your kids have the flu or the toilet is clogged because he’s always off saving the freakin’ world. Face it. Lex Luther and Doc Ock just aren’t gonna pause in their quest for total world domination while your SuperSweetheart empties the litterbox. So you’re stuck with the poopy deed. How romantic.

I know many a romance reader and writer insist Bad Boys will always be the ultimate romantic heroes because they’re always redeemable by the “right woman,” but, for me, having the right heroine isn’t enough to compensate for an unrespectable hero. Let Bad Boy keep his meatloaf lungs and mouth to himself and Debbie and all the guys she did in Dallas. The truth is the Bad Boy who lived his life sampling the world’s buffet of women isn’t a hero.

He’s a cliché.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think a guy has to be a virgin to be a romance novel--or real life--hero, either. But a true Bad Boy is more than an Iron Chef of Sex. 

We all have our idea of the perfect guy, the perfect hero, the perfect Mr. Romance. Only a hero is more than an archetype. He is more than a “caricature” of masculinity. A hero is more than a sexy body with a sexy grin and a sexy voice. 

“He’s gotta be larger than life.”

A hero--no matter his archetype or appearance--is dangerous to somebody. His very existence threatens, intimidates, and costs somebody something.

He can’t be ignored.

He won’t be ignored.

Maximus, William Wallace, Neo, Aragorn, Jack Dawson, Jake Sully, Robert Parr, Buddy.

Yes, I mean Buddy from Elf. He was dangerous to the men and women who didn’t believe in Santa, who didn’t believe that inside each person was someone special. His joy pushed people outside their status quo and made a positive difference. Only a dangerous man can do that.

A hero--no matter his archetype or appearance--isn’t dangerous to the heroine. Oh, he definitely destroys her peace of mind, yet he isn’t a physical threat. His very existence confuses, frustrates, and adds something to her life. The poor dear can’t ignore him no matter how determined she is to try, and then we the readers are screaming at him for driving her crazy and screaming at her to give him a heavier dose of his own medicine. Make him suffer, lass, make him suffer! You go, Princess Fiona!

So you turn the page hoping for the first kiss and the second one and the third because you know the kisses will come. Why?

A hero--no matter his archetype and appearance--is devoted to the heroine. But since all men are not all alike, how he shows his devotion depends on who he is. A white knight will save his damsel’s life. The hunk-next-door will baby-sit. A hero’s devotion can be as simple as taking her out to dinner after a long day’s work or more complicated like helping her realize she’s a good mother even if her house is never clean and her son has an affinity for peeing in the flower garden.

“Somewhere after midnight,
in my wildest fantasy…
there’s someone reaching back for me”

“We read romance novels not for the handsome heroes, not for the steamy loves scenes, but for the involvement of the man in the relationship.” ~Vicki Lewis Thompson, author of NERD IN SHINING ARMOR

A man actively involved in the relationship will make his woman go wild. In a heroine’s wildest fantasy, her hero is reaching for her. And through the wind, the chill, the rain, the storm, and the flood, he will be there for her. That’s what defines a romance.

So to you authors out there I say, if you want your Hero (your Bad Boy, your Good Man, your Nerd) to be a real man, make him dangerous. And give him a battle to fight. He’ll love you for it. Your heroine will love you for it.


Most of all, your readers will love you--and him--for it.